Upstate shoppers crowd into stores for Black Friday deals

Shoppers cashed in deals and swept up goods by the thousands late Thursday as many retailers opened early, preempting the morning promotions and deals offered on Black Friday.

By ANDREW DOUGHMANandrew.doughman@shj.com

Shoppers cashed in deals and swept up goods by the thousands late Thursday as many retailers opened early, preempting the morning promotions and deals offered on Black Friday.The carnival of capitalism continues today with more retailers opening their doors and enticing shoppers in with more deals. Some retailers that opened Thursday will have been open more than 24 hours by the time they close their doors tonight, concluding the nation's busiest shopping day of the year.Following Thanksgiving feasts, or sometimes in stead of them, thousands of local shoppers endured crowds, packed parking lots, traffic, cold weather and long lines at Gaffney Premium Outlets, Spartanburg's WestGate Mall and surrounding big box retailers in search of discounts, promotions or bargains.“It'll be a mad rush,” Anita Booth, a high school English teacher who was first in line outside of the Coach outlet at Gaffney Premium Outlets before its Thursday night opening. “The buys, that's what you're here for.”The sense of anticipation, the unusually late shopping hours, and the crowds gave the retail bonanza a festive atmosphere. Timmon's Concessions, a fair and festival food booth complete with flashing lights and cotton candy, is parked in the Dorman Center selling hot chocolate, candy apples, popcorn and other treats Thursday and today. Across the street outside the Toys “R” Us, the owner of a food truck called Smokin' Butts BBQ parked nearby to capitalize on the captive audience waiting in line.Business was “very good,” said Richard Gresham, the owner.The local Black Friday events also include a protest. At 8 a.m. Friday, several Spartanburg community members planned to gather at the Dorman Center Walmart to support striking Walmart workers and advocate for better wages and better schedules.At times, the shopping also had a deep, personal meaning. A family that had camped outside of Best Buy since Monday to wait for the store's midnight opening on Black Friday had a purpose beyond the bargains.Rene Osorio, her son, and two nieces have been standing in line in honor of her other son, Rudy Osorio, who was hit by a car and killed Nov. 3 while walking across Highway 11 in Inman.Before his death, Rene said his son had told her he wanted to be close to the front of the line at Best Buy.“He really wanted to go get his brother's Christmas gifts,” Rene said.Rudy had graduated Chapman High School earlier this year and loved to work with cars. He had been considering studying auto mechanics.“He was fixing to start technical school when it started back up,” Rene said.After waiting nearly four days, she said she didn't quite know what she wanted to get at Best Buy when the store finally opened at midnight.Rudy had wanted an iPad and a new phone. But camping at Best Buy had never been about the goods; it was about Rudy, she said.So what did she want to buy, if anything?“I don't know,” she said. “Maybe a TV.”Behind the Osorios, the line snaked around the Best Buy building prior to its midnight opening.About 1,000 people behind the Osorio family was the Brown family, which had driven from Forest City, N.C. to try to get a deal on a Hewlett Packard Envy laptop.“It's like an Intel i7,” said Gabe Brown. “I think it has a terabyte of memory. It's $629.”While the Browns knew exactly what they wanted, others were less sure.Edwin Baker, a psychology major at the University of South Carolina Upstate, didn't even have his wallet on him. He said he was standing in line at Toys “R” Us to see what drives people to shop like mad.“I just want the experience,” he said. “You just get to see a lot of people and what they're after.”The deals draw a diverse crowd.Ding Lei and his wife, Liu Yu Yan, of Shen Yang in China are spending a few months training at Michelin. They waited for several hours in line and spent about $700 on seven Coach purses at Gaffney Premium Outlets.Sharon Campbell, general manager at the outlets, said the outlets receive many international visitors eager to buy American brands.The enthusiasm to spend has caused more and more stores to open earlier. While the “midnight madness” shopping hours are now in their fifth year, more and more stores are offering promotions than begin at 9 p.m., Campbell said.“It's demand,” she said. “Each year our shoppers are looking for the good deals and our stores have stepped up and delivered.”The National Retail Federation said it expects about 147 million people nationwide to shop on Black Friday weekend, a slight decrease from the 152 million who did so last year, based on the results of a survey recently conducted.Sales during Black Friday weekend in 2011 were $52.4 billion, the trade association said.The retail blitz continues with nationwide promotions for Small Business Saturday, which mainly includes local, small businesses, and Cyber Monday, a day of deals and discounts from online vendors.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.